Determinants of TB/HIV coinfection-related deaths audited using the TB death checklist from health facilities in Rwanda

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health threat worldwide, mainly affecting countries with low-resource settings, including Rwanda. TB/HIV coinfection increases the severity of TB and has a high of resulting in poor outcomes, such as death. This study aims to investigate the actual ca...

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Main Author: Mutembayire et al.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC)/Rwanda Health Communication Center 2025-03-01
Series:Rwanda Medical Journal
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author Mutembayire et al.
author_facet Mutembayire et al.
author_sort Mutembayire et al.
collection DOAJ
description INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health threat worldwide, mainly affecting countries with low-resource settings, including Rwanda. TB/HIV coinfection increases the severity of TB and has a high of resulting in poor outcomes, such as death. This study aims to investigate the actual causes and factors associated with mortality among TB/HIV coinfected patients in Rwanda, to better understand the profile of deaths in this population. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted nationwide in Rwanda between July 2017 and June 2023, collecting information on TB patients who had died. The data were collected from death audit reports submitted to the National TB Program (NTP) after being filled by healthcare providers at the health facilities. To explore associations between HIV status at the time of TB diagnosis and other variables, bivariate analysis was performed. Multivariate analysis was made to find adjusted odds ratios (AOR), 95% confidence intervals and to assess statistical significance with p-values set at < 0.05. RESULTS: The study examined 1,112 TB death audits. The majority of death audit reports (68.2%) were from men. Among the reported deaths, 70.6% were TB-related. Pulmonary TB smear-negative showed a significantly higher likelihood of being HIV positive (P-value 0.082, aOR 1.97, 95%CI 0.96, 2.12). Individuals who were retreated for TB were likely to be HIV positive compared to the newly diagnosed individuals (P-value <0.007, aOR 2.03, 95%CI 1.22, 3.40). Individuals with severe malnutrition also showed a strong association with TB/HIV coinfection, at P-value 0.002, aOR1.71, 95% CI 1.23, 2.40. CONCLUSION: Individuals who had prior TB infection and pulmonary TB with smear-negative results showed a higher likelihood of having HIV coinfection, highlighting a need for regular screening by using rapid and accurate TB diagnostic tools, specifically among PLHIV.
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spelling doaj-art-389a85e836db40349ec45a9fe38bd83e2025-08-20T01:51:35ZengRwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC)/Rwanda Health Communication CenterRwanda Medical Journal2410-86262025-03-018217786https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/rmj.v82i1.9Determinants of TB/HIV coinfection-related deaths audited using the TB death checklist from health facilities in RwandaMutembayire et al.0TB and Other Respiratory Diseases Division, Rwanda Biomedical Center, Kigali, RwandaINTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health threat worldwide, mainly affecting countries with low-resource settings, including Rwanda. TB/HIV coinfection increases the severity of TB and has a high of resulting in poor outcomes, such as death. This study aims to investigate the actual causes and factors associated with mortality among TB/HIV coinfected patients in Rwanda, to better understand the profile of deaths in this population. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted nationwide in Rwanda between July 2017 and June 2023, collecting information on TB patients who had died. The data were collected from death audit reports submitted to the National TB Program (NTP) after being filled by healthcare providers at the health facilities. To explore associations between HIV status at the time of TB diagnosis and other variables, bivariate analysis was performed. Multivariate analysis was made to find adjusted odds ratios (AOR), 95% confidence intervals and to assess statistical significance with p-values set at < 0.05. RESULTS: The study examined 1,112 TB death audits. The majority of death audit reports (68.2%) were from men. Among the reported deaths, 70.6% were TB-related. Pulmonary TB smear-negative showed a significantly higher likelihood of being HIV positive (P-value 0.082, aOR 1.97, 95%CI 0.96, 2.12). Individuals who were retreated for TB were likely to be HIV positive compared to the newly diagnosed individuals (P-value <0.007, aOR 2.03, 95%CI 1.22, 3.40). Individuals with severe malnutrition also showed a strong association with TB/HIV coinfection, at P-value 0.002, aOR1.71, 95% CI 1.23, 2.40. CONCLUSION: Individuals who had prior TB infection and pulmonary TB with smear-negative results showed a higher likelihood of having HIV coinfection, highlighting a need for regular screening by using rapid and accurate TB diagnostic tools, specifically among PLHIV.tb/hiv coinfectiontuberculosis mortalityhiv-associated tbrwanda tb death auditssmear-negative tbmalnutrition and tbtb control in rwanda
spellingShingle Mutembayire et al.
Determinants of TB/HIV coinfection-related deaths audited using the TB death checklist from health facilities in Rwanda
Rwanda Medical Journal
tb/hiv coinfection
tuberculosis mortality
hiv-associated tb
rwanda tb death audits
smear-negative tb
malnutrition and tb
tb control in rwanda
title Determinants of TB/HIV coinfection-related deaths audited using the TB death checklist from health facilities in Rwanda
title_full Determinants of TB/HIV coinfection-related deaths audited using the TB death checklist from health facilities in Rwanda
title_fullStr Determinants of TB/HIV coinfection-related deaths audited using the TB death checklist from health facilities in Rwanda
title_full_unstemmed Determinants of TB/HIV coinfection-related deaths audited using the TB death checklist from health facilities in Rwanda
title_short Determinants of TB/HIV coinfection-related deaths audited using the TB death checklist from health facilities in Rwanda
title_sort determinants of tb hiv coinfection related deaths audited using the tb death checklist from health facilities in rwanda
topic tb/hiv coinfection
tuberculosis mortality
hiv-associated tb
rwanda tb death audits
smear-negative tb
malnutrition and tb
tb control in rwanda
work_keys_str_mv AT mutembayireetal determinantsoftbhivcoinfectionrelateddeathsauditedusingthetbdeathchecklistfromhealthfacilitiesinrwanda